Faculty News

In the midst of a court fight with his landlord over an eviction notice, Tom Rankin askedJefferson District Court Judge Donald Armstrong if he needed a lawyer.

“It wouldn't hurt,” the judge responded, and on heir way out of the courtroom, Rankin wasapproached by a representative of Legal Aid, which provides free legal help to people oflimited income, who said she could refer them to an attorney.

Well, he wasn't actually an “attorney,” officially speaking.

The Rankins were referred to the University of Louisville Law Clinic, where they met with Blake Nolan, a third-year law student, one of eight allowed to practice law last semester at the clinic on Muhammad Ali Boulevard, gaining experience while reaching out to an underserved population.

Nolan had never handled an eviction case, “But he was good,” Rankin said, and worked out an agreement with the landlord that led to the case being dismissed.

“He knew what he was doing,” Rankin said. “I was really impressed with the way he handled everything. … I really don't think I could have done it without him.”

Nolan was participating in a program launched in July 2009 that so far has allowed 25 U of L law students to help nearly 300 clients at no charge in Jefferson County Family and District courts — including 187 victims of domestic violence and their children seeking protective orders.

And the clinic is growing, with a record 15 students enrolled for the semester that began this month.

The clinic is primarily funded by gifts to the university and if the students take the clinic as a course, it is part of their law school tuition and fees. They must have at least 60 credit hours to sign up for the clinic, and receive four credits for their participation. They are able to work as practicing student attorneys through a limited license granted by the Kentucky Supreme Court, and only with supervision. In October, the Center for Women and Families, the Legal Aid Society and Law Clinic received a combined $438,000 in grant money to represent victims of domestic violence, allowing, in part, the funding of four more student attorneys and an additional part-time attorney to supervise them.

Shelley Santry, a U of L law professor and former prosecutor who heads the clinic, said the student attorneys funded by the new grant –— the clinic's share is $110,000 — will focus on custody cases for unmarried, low-income victims of domestic violence.

Many of those victims are unable to afford an attorney, and “No one does those kind of cases pro bono now,” she said. “Custody disputes are difficult, time consuming and often emotional.”

Santry said many schools across the country have long had similar clinics, which allow students who have had two years of learning through courses to “apply what they have learned to real people with real problems.”

“Our nurses,doctors and teachers all practice before they go into the real world,” she said. “Our lawyers don't. They graduate and they're like, ‘Where's the courthouse?' You just can't beat learning by doing in my opinion.”

Nolan, who has handled about 10 cases and will be back this semester at the clinic, agreed. “There's nothing better than getting some real world experience in a courtroom and in front of a judge,” he said.

It's also nice to be able to help people in need, said Julie Purcell, a 25-year-old rdthird-year student from Louisville who in December helped an elderly woman who was being evicted because the rent money she had given to a family member never made it to her landlord.

“It's just awesome,” said Purcell, who has handled about 20 cases, and was able to have the case dismissed, got Adult Protective Services involved and saw the woman moved into new housing.“We're able to learn so much, but at the same time provide a service to people that otherwise wouldn't get it.”

Chief Family Court Judge Patricia Walker FitzGerald said she regularly sees the student attorneys in her courtroom, usually in domestic-violence cases, and has found them to be well-prepared, asking good questions and “doing an excellent job” in often difficult cases.

“They've really stepped up to the plate to do a much needed service,” she said.

And alumni of the program are turning up as prosecutors and public defenders, and several have opened their own firms.

“Most people will graduate without ever having been in a real courtroom in front of a judge,” said Heend Sheth, who graduated in May and is a prosecutor with the Jefferson County Attorney's Office. “… And at the end of the day, you are helping people. You really do get to see your skills manifest in someone else's changed circumstances.”

"The league is named for Wilson Wyatt Sr., a former mayor of Louisville and lieutenant governor of Kentucky, and his wife, Anne, who created an endowment for the program in 1993, Grise said. The endowment helps pay for students to attend summer camps that focus on debate, she said. Jefferson County Public Schools also provides stipends for coaches."

"Once a month, students from all of the teams gather for an informational session, where experts on debate topics provide resources and model debate techniques. During this month's session, held Jan. 10 at Manual, two University of Louisville Law School professors, Cedric Powell and Luke Milligan, presented information by taking various angles on whether juveniles should be charged as adults."

Due to public safety concerns, pedestrian access will be eliminated around the construction site at the northeast corner of Third Street and Eastern Parkway. The Third Street sidewalk from the corner to the Cardinal Shuttle stop just south of the Oval is being closed immediately. The sidewalk from that corner east on Eastern Parkway is being closed up to the Natural Science Building. Also, the Third Street sidewalk south of Eastern Parkway near the Engineering Graphics parking lot will be closed soon for utilities work. During that time pedestrians need to cross Third Street near the entrance to the Engineering Graphics lot, proceed north on Third, and cross back at the Eastern-Third Street intersection. Signs will mark all closures and alternate routes.

Congratulations to Connie Barr Archer whose note was chosen for publication in the JLE's January 2011 issue. While the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act has enacted measures for the United States to once again become the leader in higher education attainment rates, one problem with meeting this goal is the scarcity of qualified professors to teach at the university level. With the scarcity due in part to low doctoral enrollments coupled with low and slow doctoral completion rates, Connie’s note discusses steps that legislatures should take to support the doctoral enrollment and completion process without compromising educational standards. Her note is entitled "Addressing the Doctoral Dilemma: How State Legislatures Can Help Solve the Ph.D. Shortage."

The University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law seeks applications from renowned legal educators for a year-long appointment as the Ralph Petrilli Distinguished Visiting Professor for the 2011-12 academic term. The Petrilli Distinguished Visiting Professor will teach a total of 3 classes. One of these classes will be the year-long legal writing and analysis course in a small section of about 20 students. [The legal writing and analysis course is entitled Basic Legal Skills. It does not include legal research, which is taught in a separate course. Given that it is a year-long course, the teaching package is the functional equivalent of a 4-course package.] One course will be Professional Responsibility in an accelerated format in Fall 2011. The third course, in Spring 2012, could include Domestic Relations (family law), an upper-level skills elective, or a seminar on a mutually agreeable topic. The successful applicant must be a person "renowned for exceptional contributions to law, legal institutions or legal education." To apply, please send a letter of interest and a c.v. to Professor Tony Arnold, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, Brandeis School of Law, Wyatt Hall, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 or tony.arnold@louisville.edu, no later than January 15, 2011. Please contact Dean Arnold at his email address or at (502) 852-6388 with any questions.

Analyze each element of the relevant causes of action in your exam answer. The depth of your analysis regarding each element will depend on the complexity of the problem. Forcing yourself to analyze every element will accomplish two things: (1) it will let the professor know that you understand that every element of a cause of action must be proven; and (2) it will force you to consider whether each element has been satisfied, thus avoiding the mistake of failing to discuss a complex problem that, at least on the surface, seemed quite obvious. (Adapted from Succeeding in Law School by Herbert N. Ramy.)

Please congratulate Nicole Crump and Jeff Hall, who won 2nd place in the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition this past weekend as one of two teams from the Law School. The competition was held in Detroit with teams from law schools in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario.